Cuspidor-tongs.



J.}R. EASTON.

oUSPIDoB Tories.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 24,1910.

Patented Jan.'24,1911.

2 BIBEBTS-BHBBT 1.

ATTORNEYS nu: Nanni: rzrllu no.. wAsmNurcN. D4 c.

ir. R. EASTON.

UUSPIDOB. TONGS.

APPLIOATIOH Hmm rn.24.191o.

982,354. Patented Jan, 24, 1,911.

2 BEHETS-BHBBT 2.

.l gg 31 ATTORNEYS 1m! Nanlls rrrnu ca., wunmorou. D. c.

PrTENT OFFICE.

JAMES ROBERT EASTON, 0F MARION, NORTH DAKOTA.

GUSPIDOR-TONGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 24, 1911.

Application filed February 24, 1910. Serial No. 545,720.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES R. EASTON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Marion, in the county of Lamoure and State of North Dakota, have invented a new and Improved Cuspidor-Tongs, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to cuspidor tongs, my more particular purpose being to give the tongs such construction and operation that, by their aid the cuspidor may be grasped, washed, turned bottom upward, if need be, and released or turned back int-o its normal position, as desiredfwithout the necessity of the operator placing his hand directly upon the cuspidor.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specilication, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the ligures.

Figure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section, s owing my improved cuspidor tongs and a cuspidor grasped thereby; Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the cuspidor tongs distended-that is, ready to grasp thercuspidor; and Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow.

At 5 is shown a cuspidor.

At 6, 7 are two crossed levers provided respectively with handles 8 and connected by a pivot pin 9. These levers terminate in lugs 10 which fit into tubes 11, the latter and parts associated therewith together constituting the legs of the tongs. The lugs 10 are secured within the upper ends of the tubes 11 by aid of pins 12 which are provided with eyes 13 extending slightly outward from the tubes. Mounted rigidly upon the lower ends of the tubes 11 are tees 14 which serve as bearings. Revolubly mounted within these bearings are stub shafts 15 and encircling the latter are washers 16 held against the opposite ends of the tees by aid of cotter pins 17 which extend diametrically through the stub shafts 15. The stub shafts 15 are provided with claws 18 which are covered with soft rubber. Each stub shaft 15 is provided centrally with a rectangular hole 19 extending diametrically through it. i

Mounted within each tube 11 is a dolly 20 and secured firmly to the latter is a tenslle spring 21. Below this tensile spring and secured to the same is a pawl 22, and extending laterally from the pawl and integral with it is a .knob 23 which extends through a slot 24 in the tube 11. Two spring wire sections 25 integral with each other are provided at their lower ends with eyes 26 which engage the knobs 23. These spring wire sections are provided with a central portion 27, the latter being formed at its upper end into an eye 28. By raising or lowering this eye relatively to the handles 8, the pawls 22 may be lifted out of the holes 19, so as to leave the stub shafts 15 free to turn.

A ratchet bar 29 is pivotally connected by a pin 30 with the lever 6 and extends through an eye in the lever 7. This ratchet bar is provided with teeth 31 which are engaged by a pawl 32. A leaf spring 33, carried by the lever 7, engages the pawl 32 and tends to cause it to lock the bar 29 by engaging the teeth 31. By a gentle pressure against the upper end of the pawl 32, the pawl is rocked and thereby released from engagement with the ratchet bar.

The operation of my device is as follows: The operator first disengages the pawl 32, if need be, from the bar 29, and b pressing the handles 8 apart causes the c aws 18 to move apart as indicated in Fig. 3. By aid of the handles 8 the claws 18 are next brought against the opposite sides of the cuspidor 5, as indicated in Fig. 1, the pawi 32 engaging the teeth 31 and locking the levers 6, 7, so that the claws 18 press tightly against the cuspidor. By aid of the handles 8 cuspidor is now lifted into a vessel of water, or otherwise manipulated and cleaned. If it be desired to invert the cuspidor, the operator pulls the eye 28 upward, so as to dislodge the lower ends of the pawls 22 from the holes 19. This leaves the stub shafts 15 free to turn and makes it an easy matter to rotate the cuspidor. This may be done, for instance, by rolling the cuspidor bodily over the bottom of the vessel, or by causing a portion of the cuspidor to catch against some obstruction and manipulating the other movable parts so as to cause the cuspidor to turn.

If, desired, the cuspidor after being inverted may be fixed in this position relatively to the tongs. This is accomplished by allowing the pawls 22 to enter the holes 19 but from the opposite side, the thrust of` the pawls into the holes and their withdrawal therefrom being under control of the operator through the medium of the eye 28. There a pail or tub of water is used in cleaning cuspidors, the latter may beentirely covered with water and the tongs swung to either side, as desired, without re` leasing their grip. On this account one cuspidor after another may bewashed without emptying the vessel of water.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. A1device ofthe character described, comprising crossed levers, one of said levers being provided with a member extending therefrom and having a tubular form, a stub shaft journaled relatively to said member and provided with a claw for engaging a cuspidor, a pawl mounted within said member of tubular form and provided with means for locking said stub shaft against rotation, and means controllable at will for shifting said pawl into dierent positions.

2. Cuspidor tongs, comprising levers provided With extending portions of tubular form, bearings mounted upon said eXtending portions, stub shafts carried by said bearings and provided with claws, pawls mounted within said members of tubular form and adapted to engage and disengage said stub shafts, and means controllable at will for shifting the positions of said pavvls.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of levers, mechanism carried thereby and adapted to grip and release a cuspidor, said mechanism including revo- 'luble members, pawls for engaging said revoluble members and temporarily preventing the same from turning, springs connected with said levers and pressing against said pawls for the purpose of forcing the latter into predetermined normal positions, and mechanism connected with both of said pawls and provided with a handle for forcing the latter out of engagement with said wrevoluble members.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specication in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMEs ROBERT EAsToN.

Witnesses VESLEY C. MGDOWELL, FRANK F. DORAN. 

